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Friday
November 20, 2009 Since 1922 |
Old theater gets new life
By Wanda Orton
Contributor Published October 31, 2009 Lights … cameras …. action ….
With all the activity surrounding the historic movie theater in Lufkin, the evening must have seemed like a movie in the making.
The event last week, sponsored by the First Street Arts Center, included a catered dinner, live music and silent auction, but the main attraction was the restoration of the Pines theater.
“Let there be light,” exclaimed Lufkin Mayor Jack Gordon as City Manager Paul Parker flipped the switch for the marquee and colorful lights framing the box office and exterior of the 84-year-old theater. I wasn’t there but I saw the photo – as vivid as a Technicolor movie – on the front page of the Lufkin Daily News.
According to the story that ran with the picture, the crowd reacted with “ooohs and aws,” cheers and applause when the old theater lit up.
Don’t rush to buy tickets – it’s not done yet – but a major phase of the renovation has been finished. The building is stripped through the interior but the roof has been restored, major structural work has been finished and the exterior lighting and marquee are in working order.
Before the project is completed, citizens will provide input on how they want the theater to be used. The city of Lufkin is inviting citizens to participate in a survey on its Web site.
Although I never lived in Lufkin, I visited there often during my childhood and spent several weeks every summer with relatives. Being a movie fan, I spent many hours of those weeks at the Pines.
Along with the Brunson and the Bay in my hometown, the Pines ranked as one of my favorite movie theaters, and I remember two films in particular that drew me to the Lufkin landmark. When I was quite young, I saw an awesome version of “Phantom of the Opera,” starring Claude Rains, and as a young teenager, I especially enjoyed “Spellbound” with Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman.
The Pines was within walking distance of my uncle’s home in Lufkin, so I got plenty of walking exercise, going to the picture show nearly every day.
Like Lufkin, a number of towns are restoring their old movie theaters, using them for concerts, plays, classic movies and special events.
By now I guess you can see where I’m going with this– the 300 block of West Texas Avenue.
Restoring the Brunson Theater has been the dream for years, but would it practical? How much would it cost and would Baytown ever get its money worth from such a massive project?
Sorry, I have no answers, only questions. I don’t even have an opinion because of the lack of information about the current condition of the building and what it would take to restore it. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, though, to figure the cost would be high and mighty. The renovation cost for the Pines in Lufkin is estimated at $1.5 million.
Sentiment and nostalgia can be strong motivators, and the people of Lufkin obviously cherish their old downtown theater. It’s a house of memories spanning generations of movie-goers since 1925.
Although the Brunson Theater, built in 1949, is younger, it evokes memories just as strong, maybe even stronger. Few theaters can match the colorful personality of the Brunson, with the legendary kiddy shows and unique promotion stunts that made nationwide headlines.
Not that I’m biased, but of the two theaters, the Brunson in Baytown and the Pines in Lufkin, our hometown theater was the best, brightest and most beautiful.
Wanda Orton is a retired managing editor of The Baytown Sun.
Contributor Published October 31, 2009 Lights … cameras …. action ….
With all the activity surrounding the historic movie theater in Lufkin, the evening must have seemed like a movie in the making.
The event last week, sponsored by the First Street Arts Center, included a catered dinner, live music and silent auction, but the main attraction was the restoration of the Pines theater.
“Let there be light,” exclaimed Lufkin Mayor Jack Gordon as City Manager Paul Parker flipped the switch for the marquee and colorful lights framing the box office and exterior of the 84-year-old theater. I wasn’t there but I saw the photo – as vivid as a Technicolor movie – on the front page of the Lufkin Daily News.
According to the story that ran with the picture, the crowd reacted with “ooohs and aws,” cheers and applause when the old theater lit up.
Don’t rush to buy tickets – it’s not done yet – but a major phase of the renovation has been finished. The building is stripped through the interior but the roof has been restored, major structural work has been finished and the exterior lighting and marquee are in working order.
Before the project is completed, citizens will provide input on how they want the theater to be used. The city of Lufkin is inviting citizens to participate in a survey on its Web site.
Although I never lived in Lufkin, I visited there often during my childhood and spent several weeks every summer with relatives. Being a movie fan, I spent many hours of those weeks at the Pines.
Along with the Brunson and the Bay in my hometown, the Pines ranked as one of my favorite movie theaters, and I remember two films in particular that drew me to the Lufkin landmark. When I was quite young, I saw an awesome version of “Phantom of the Opera,” starring Claude Rains, and as a young teenager, I especially enjoyed “Spellbound” with Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman.
The Pines was within walking distance of my uncle’s home in Lufkin, so I got plenty of walking exercise, going to the picture show nearly every day.
Like Lufkin, a number of towns are restoring their old movie theaters, using them for concerts, plays, classic movies and special events.
By now I guess you can see where I’m going with this– the 300 block of West Texas Avenue.
Restoring the Brunson Theater has been the dream for years, but would it practical? How much would it cost and would Baytown ever get its money worth from such a massive project?
Sorry, I have no answers, only questions. I don’t even have an opinion because of the lack of information about the current condition of the building and what it would take to restore it. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, though, to figure the cost would be high and mighty. The renovation cost for the Pines in Lufkin is estimated at $1.5 million.
Sentiment and nostalgia can be strong motivators, and the people of Lufkin obviously cherish their old downtown theater. It’s a house of memories spanning generations of movie-goers since 1925.
Although the Brunson Theater, built in 1949, is younger, it evokes memories just as strong, maybe even stronger. Few theaters can match the colorful personality of the Brunson, with the legendary kiddy shows and unique promotion stunts that made nationwide headlines.
Not that I’m biased, but of the two theaters, the Brunson in Baytown and the Pines in Lufkin, our hometown theater was the best, brightest and most beautiful.
Wanda Orton is a retired managing editor of The Baytown Sun.